LATE FOUNDER | BARBARA REESE (she/her)
It was Barbara’s belief that the arts were the voice of the soul. As a Montessori teacher, she watched the exuberance and enthusiasm with which the young children in her classroom expressed their voices, but was heartbroken to see these same bright lights dim as they grew older. 40 years later, Barbara was still in touch with some of the kids she had taught in her first years as a Montessori teacher, before passing in the fall of 2023. Her passion for education and working with schools grew to include offering arts opportunities that would amplify youth voices. In each place Barbara lived, including Zimbabwe, she volunteered with schools. Locally, Barbara served on the board of Aspen Words and have helped bring numerous poets into the Roaring Fork Valley schools. Until her passing, she was an active member of the Aspen Poets’ Society, and had continued to learn and grow my through her own writing every day. She came to strongly feel and believe that the voice was one of our most precious resources that we have as individuals and communities.